This proposal will support the development of a fully integrated transition from the Associate to Baccalaureate Degree for historically underrepresented minority students interested in careers in biomedical research. The target populations will be students enrolled in target community and junior colleges of the western portion of the Maricopa County Community College System (MCCCD; specifically Glendale CC, Phoenix college, and South Mountain CC), with the goal of enrolling them as life science majors at Arizona state University West. The focus of the program will be to engage these undergraduates in on-going research projects in cross-disciplinary areas of biomedical research. This will be accomplished through a combination of focused summer research institutes, year-long faculty mentorship, collaborative faculty research and team teaching across the campuses, development of "minority-sensitive" curriculum at both the two year and baccalaureate granting institution, and finally academic counseling and enrichment activities. Associate Degree students who successfully finish the program will be guaranteed acceptance to Arizona State University West, with financial aid packages. This project will provide the template for the development of a comprehensive fully institutionalized program after the initial NIH funding is utilized.